Coil-box protector



H. E. S, LORENZ.

v COIL BOX PROTECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.15 19Y9.

1,339,568, Patented May 11, 1920..

INVENTOR Heman ES Lorenz.

- AT'i' Jr. EY

HERMAN n. s. LORENZ, or o -rnPPAoUA, NEW YORK.

COIL-BOX rnoanofron.

. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 1920,

Application filed December 15, 1919. Serial No. 344,805.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HERMAN E. S. LORENZ,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Qhappaqua, county of \Vestchester, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Coil-Box Protector, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention is a coil box protector, particularly adapted for use on Ford cars. In cars of this make, the coil box is mounted on the dash directly beneath the cowl, and the parts of the car are so constructed that in rainy weather water frequently finds its way through the joints which the cowl makes with the adjacent portions of the body construction, wets the dash and cowl box and short circuits the same.

Numerous expedients have been resorted to to overcome this defect but, in the major part, they prove entirely ineffective, so that most Ford owners rely, at the present time, on the rubber tarpaulin which they drape over the hood and cowl and support the same on the wind shield brackets. This tarpaulin serves to shed the rain so that it does not come into contact with the joints adjacent the cowl.

As the Ford coil box is constructed, it embodies a wooden'back to which the ignition leads are attached, while the remainder of the coil box is formed from sheet metal, It has been heretofore suggested to place water proof material over the wooden back of the box for the purpose of rendering it impervious to moisture or water, but with these constructions the water is found to work into the joints at the edges of the box, as well as to short circuit the porcelain plugs so that while such constructions assist, to some extent in overcoming the difliculties, they do not solve the problem.

IVith the foregoing considerations in mind, the object of the present invention is to provide a coil box protector which will positively protect the coil box against rain which may leak through the car body and will not only render the box impervious to water but will also preclude short circuits at the porcelain plugs.

Features of the invention, other than those specified, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction therein shown is to be understood as illustrative only, and not as defining the limits of the invention. 7

F lgure 1 is a perspective yiew of a Ford .coil box embodying the present invention;

' Fig. line 2+2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the. drawings, A designates, a coil box which, in practice, is provided 2 is a section in the plane of i with a body a and a cover (1 adapted to be normally locked in closed position bymeans of catches B, one of which is positioned at each side of the box. The box is provided with a wooden back-U whereas the rest of the box is formed from sheet metal. The sheet metal sides are provided with flanges D by means of which the back 0 is secured in place by screws passing through the flange D and into the back C, and said sides are further provided with flanges E, which serve as attaching flanges for mounting the box in position on the dash.

Extending through the wooden back .0 are a plurality of porcelain plugs F, which form the terminals of the box and which plugs are provided at their outer ends with binding nuts f to secure the wiring leads Gr to the {plugs as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

In carrying out the present invention,.I completely cover the exterior of the back .6 with a water resisting medium H and this material I carry aroundthe sides of the box as at 'h, for an appreciable distance, preferably from one-third to one-half the depth of the box. In practice, the material employed is rubber which is vulcanized in place as shown in the drawings, so as to tightly cling to all portions of the body and back of the box with which it contacts so that water cannot work in between therubher and the box and wet the back C. The attaching flanges E are preferably left uncovered so that they .may be more readily attached. to the dash by -means of bolts or screws in the usual manner. It will be noted, more particularly from Fig. 2, that the rear face of the back covering of rub ber H, is flush with the attaching faces of the flanges E and does not project beyond said faces of the flanges. Accordingly, there is no tendency during the attaching of the box to force the wooden back C loose from its supporting flanges D as is so frequently the case in such prior devices as provide a covering for the wooden back.

In order to preclude short circuiting of the porcelain plu s F, as would be the case if they were let to protrude uncovered from the back covering H, I preferably scattaching of the leads G, but after the leads are attached they are adapted to be unrolled to partake of positions shown in connection with the other plugs of Fig. 2'to completely envelop the plugs and an appreciablerportion of the wire leads. The resulting construction is shown in Fig. 1, wherein it will be manifest that any water coming in contact with the sleeves I near the base thereof will merely flow down over the sleeves and will not work up into the sleeves and come in contact with the con nection. In vulcanizing the rubber covering in position on the box, it is formed to fit over the cover a, but is not secured thereto, so that the cover may be removed in the usual manner to gain access to the interior of the box. Experience has shown that Ford cars equipped with a coil box protector in the manner described would run indefinitely in all. sorts of weather without short circuiting at the coil box due to water leakage and the use of tarpaulins or other means is entirely unnecessary. The present invention may be applied to the coil box in a simple and economical manner and does not appreciably increase the cost of the box. It thus overcomes one of the problems which has, for years, been troubling Ford owners. In almost a great majority of cases ignition trouble in Ford cars are due to moisture or water in the coil box and this is obviated by the present invention.

It will be apparent that the specific structure described may be modified in formal respects, such as by the substitution of equivalents, without departing from the spirit or substance of the invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims.

In the form of the invention shown and described, the water proof covering is re- .the box.

ferred to as being vulcanized in position on However, the invention is not to be understood as restricted in this regard since, in practice, it may be made about a form or molded in a die and thereafter slip ed over any stock box.

Paving thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A coil box protector embodying a layer of water proof material vulcanized to the back of the coil box and extending around the sides thereof, and fiexible water proof sleeves having impervious joints with said layer of water proof material, one of said sleeves being associated with each terminal of the box in such manner as to embrace the same and extend an appreciable distance beyond the end thereof.

2. A protector for coil boxes embodying a vulcanized covering of rubber adapted to overlie the back of the box and from which covering projects a plurality of flexible, rubber sleeves, one of which embraces each terminal of the coil box and projects an appreciable distance beyond the outer end thereof.

A protector for coil boxes embodying a water proof covering attached to the box and overlying the back of the box and a portion of the sides thereof and through which water proof covering the terminals of the coil box project, a plurality of flexible water proof sleeves, one of which embraces each terminal and projects an appreciable distance beyond the end thereof, the base of each sleeve beingimperviously united to the water proof covering of the back of the box. V

l. A protector for coil boxes embodying means secured directly to the box for rendering the back of the box impervious to water, and means extending from the back of the box at each terminal of the coil box to an appreciable distance beyond the end of a corresponding terminal andembracing said terminal, whereby the terminals are individually protected to preclude water from coming into contact with the terminals of the box as well as with the connections between said terminals and the engine leads.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to, this s ecification.

H RMAN E. S. LORENZ. 

